How an Oroton heir turned a $3m farm into a lavish $30m retreat

Tom and Emma Lane, of the Oroton fashion family empire, have sold their luxury equine estate in Bangalow for about $30 million, say local sources, smashing the suburb record.

The developer couple spared no expense on their latest lavish retreat, Copperstone, which was built from scratch and three years in the making after the purchase of farmland for $3 million in 2011.

Set on 19 hectares, nestled in a picturesque country landscape, the property is a sight to behold and the latest addition to the Lanes’ portfolio of luxury accommodation known as The Range Estates.

Their meticulous attention to detail, impeccable taste and love of horses combined to create an estate with a suite of amenities, including a wellness centre with sauna, steam room and ice bath, a tennis court and a pool house for the 25-metre mineral pool. It also features an impressive dressage arena with a cross-country course and stables for horse enthusiasts.

While Kim Jones of The Range Estates declined to comment when contacted, Copperstone is now among one of the top sales for the Byron region. The Byron shire record is still held by another luxury retreat by the Lanes known as The Range, in Coopers Shoot, which tech entrepreneur Benjamin Bray, managing partner of Nakatomi, bought for $33.65 million in 2023.

That was closely followed by the Chemist Warehouse billionaire director Damien Gance and his wife, Sasha Robertson, buying Malia on Belongil Beach for $33.5 million in cash from McGrath director Shane Smollen and his wife, Rebecca.

While the buyers and precise price of Copperstone will be revealed on settlement, it is safe to say they have comfortably smashed the Bangalow record by more than double.

Bangalow luxury returns to market

The previous high was set by music industry entrepreneur Tom Misner’s nearby Bangalow property, which has coincidentally returned to the market almost six months after he purchased it.

The luxury multi-residence has a total of nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms and 10 car spaces with a $15 million price guide – the exact price the director of Studios 301 paid for it late last year.

The Croatian-born businessman made his fortune selling his audio engineering school SAE Institute for about $300 million in 2010.

The Tuscany-inspired property is being sold through an expressions-of-interest campaign that closes on June 12, through selling agent Will Phillips of Sotheby’s International Realty Byron Bay.

Balgowlah Heights upgrade

Back in Sydney’s northern beaches, Stephen Dunne, former chief executive of AMP Capital, and his wife, Sally Treeby, a former chairperson of humanitarian organisation for girls Plan International Australia, have sold their Balgowlah Heights home for $8.5 million.

Settlement documents have revealed little known software executives Melanie Cox, a former director of Dynatrace Asia-Pacific, and Peter Walker, a director of Less Ordinary Software, as the buyers of the five-bedroom, three-bathroom house. The two are not moving far, given they already live in the suburb.

Since Dunne and Treeby bought the home for $1,315,000 in 1999, the couple have rebuilt the property into a modern sanctuary on the 879-square-metre block with a Caroline Pidcock design.

Dunne and Treeby have a keen interest in philanthropy and environmentalism, with Dunne holding numerous board and chair positions, including director of Greening Australia and a directorship and chair of Investor Group on Climate Change, the leading network for institutional investors’ response to climate risk.

It sold before auction through Kingsley Looker of Clarke & Humel Property, who declined to comment when contacted.

Rowe sells Clovelly investment

In the eastern suburbs, Jessica Rowe has sold her Clovelly investment property for $1,725,000 after owning it for 25 years.

The television journalist and presenter, who was made a member of the Order of Australia for her mental health advocacy, bought the light-filled two-bedroom unit for $410,000 in 2000 as her first home to live in before she met her husband, Peter Overton.

The top-floor art deco property with no common walls is in a boutique block of four that is a short stroll to cafes and beaches.

It sold through Bethwyn Richards of The Agency.

Historic manor in Warrawee

One of Warrawee’s most historic homes, Wirepe, has hit the market with a price guide of $8.5 million to $9 million.

Built circa 1895, the six-bedroom, four-bathroom manor was designed by architect Walter Traill.

The meticulously kept residence sits on 1818 square metres and is being sold by Jennifer and Greg Smart, of Smart Property Group and Impact Group NSW, who purchased the grand home for $4.6 million in 2018 from the Pryce family.

The Smarts, who have since retired, are hoping to downsize within the area as they go between their Southern Highlands acreage.

It is scheduled to go under the hammer on June 14, and is being sold through Daniel Cook of McGrath St Ives.